Biomass Week - September 30, 2020

IRENA: Bioenergy accounted for 3.58M jobs globally in 2019 Jobs in the renewable energy sector reached 11.5 million globally in 2019, according to a report released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) on Sept. 29. Bioenergy accounted for 3.58 million jobs, up from 3.18 million in 2018. READ MORE SHARE
USDA seeks applications for Advanced Biofuel Payment Program The USDA announced on Sept. 23 it is making $7 million available under the Advanced Biofuel Payment Program. The agency will accept applications from advanced biofuel producers during the month of October. READ MORE SHARE
	House passes bill that aims to increase SRE transparency The U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 24 passed the Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act, or H.R. 4447, by a vote of 229 to 187. The bill includes provisions of the Renewable Fuel Standard Integrity Act. READ MORE SHARE
CalBio, dairy farmers and Chevron announce first RNG California Bioenergy LLC, Chevron U.S.A. Inc. and local dairy farmers on Sept. 24 announced their joint venture, CalBioGas LLC, successfully achieved first renewable natural gas (RNG) production from dairy farms in Kern County. READ MORE SHARE
Corbion and Total to build first world-scale PLA plant in Europe Corbion and Total on Sept. 24 announced their intention to build a new PLA bioplastics plant in Europe through their Total Corbion PLA joint venture. The plant is expected to have a capacity of 100,000 tons per year. READ MORE SHARE
DOE solicits applications for Technology Commercialization Fund The Department of Energy on Sept. 23 issued its FY 2021 solicitation for the Technology Commercialization Fund, which aims to advance the commercialization of promising energy technologies and deploy lab-developed technologies to the marketplace. READ MORE SHARE
USDA solicits applications for loan guarantee program The USDA is soliciting applications for two different cycles of the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program. The first cycle closes Oct. 1, while the second is open through April 1, 2021. READ MORE SHARE
DOE opens $2M FOA for co-gasification research The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy on Sept. 22 released a $2 million funding opportunity announcement (FOA) focused on the co-gasification of coal, biomass and plastic waste to produce hydrogen. READ MORE SHARE
NREL shares $40M with partners to scale next-gen biotechnologies The U.S. Department of Energy's Bioenergy Technologies Office has awarded nearly $40 million to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory that will be used to develop and scale up 11 groundbreaking bioenergy projects. READ MORE SHARE
Neste, Shell sign agreement to increase the supply of SAF In a move which anticipates increasing desire from airlines to reduce emissions, Neste and Shell Aviation have entered into a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supply agreement that the companies say will increase the supply and availability of SAF. READ MORE SHARE